Every time I fly I try not to take it for granted. I intentionally choose a window seat so I can gaze outside while the plane takes off. Take-off is my favorite part. I love the rumble of the tires moving along the runway and the sudden peace you feel when the plane lifts off the ground and you’re in flight.

Here we are in this huge aircraft full of people and metal and luggage, soaring gracefully over the earth at 30,000 feet. It’s quite phenomenal, but if you’ve ever flown frequently you might have noticed how easy it is to take for granted. If you are one of those people, here are three lessons to keep in mind for your next flight:

1. Stop to smell the view

Don’t take for granted the little (and big) things in life- like how gorgeous the Rocky Mountains look from the view of the plane, or how quickly we are able to visit loved ones. Try to imagine a world without flight and you will see very quickly just how fortunate we are.

2. Dreams are never too big

I’m sure people in 1903 had dreamed about flying but it wasn’t until the Wright Brothers decided to take action that the dream of flight became a reality. Others around them must have thought they were crazy. How could such a thing be possible?

Don’t let people put down your ideas and dreams. If the great thinkers of the world had allowed others to convince them that they were crazy I wouldn’t be sitting on an airplane right now. Not only wouldn’t we have flight, we wouldn’t have cars or light bulbs. Only you can tell yourself if your ideas are worthwhile. And chances are, they probably are. So why not go for it? Our world may become a better place if you do.

3. Turbulence just means you’re alive

Second to take-off, my favorite part of flying is turbulence. Strange, right? While everyone else is clutching their armrests, I’m usually staring peacefully out the window. A smooth flight just seems so surreal to me. How can this ginormous vessel flying through the sky not encounter a few bumps- even a few big bumps? And what’s the worst thing that can happen? We crash? Die? Even though “statistically speaking” I’m four times more likely to be killed in an airplane than in a car, that’s only based on the assumption that one flies as much as they drive, which is hardly the case. I put myself in the face of danger over and over again every time I get behind the wheel, but I hardly think about that when I hop in the car to get groceries. So why worry now? Everyone dies, but in the meantime, I’m flying.